


tend my lambs

by Ford_Ye_Fiji



Series: and love will be your teacher [12]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I kill off the OC's fam, Minor Character Death, Not Iroh, OC's - Freeform, Plot, Violence, and the long awaited Iroh segment, don't worry !!!, to move the plot along, we get to see what he’s been up too!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 05:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21350815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ford_Ye_Fiji/pseuds/Ford_Ye_Fiji
Summary: Several different POV's of Ozai's coup and afterwards.
Series: and love will be your teacher [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1511504
Comments: 29
Kudos: 1011





	tend my lambs

**Author's Note:**

> (In which tea saves Iroh's life)

_SIX HOURS BEFORE OZAI'S COUP_

-

Ursa burst into the room, eyes wide, "Ozai!"

Her husband turned, raising an eyebrow at her outburst. She knew she did not look the part of a prince's wife, tears welling up in her eyes, a robe thrown hastily on over her sleep clothes, hair in disarray, "What have you done?"

Ozai waved away the men he’d been talking too. They drifted out of the throne room, she recognized them now as generals. Ozai folded his hands, "What are you talking about, Ursa?"

"You know what I’m talking about."

"I’m afraid I don’t-“

"The _blasting jelly,_ Ozai! Where is it? I saw the shipments! I saw the manifests! I know about your secret meetings and your plotting. I’m your wife, not stupid! Where is it?" 

Ozai stiffened, "Ursa-“

"What are you planning, Ozai? What are you going to do to Iroh? What are you going to do to my son?"

Ozai stepped forward, snarling, teeth barred, "If Zuko cooperates, nothing will happen to him."

Ursa's eyes widened, filled with fear, "Ozai, I- I can’t let you do this!”

Ozai's brow softened, "I’m sorry you think that way, Ursa."

She is suddenly very afraid.

-

_SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE OZAI'S COUP_

-

It is late at night and Iroh is tired. However, he needs to discuss more specifics with the generals and how they will address the senseless slaughter without restarting the war. He’d taken a break, gone on a walk and borrowed a cup of tea from the kitchen. He sipped it, pausing to admire the stars and the moon overhead. Soon he will go back into the war room and the troubles of the fire nation will threaten to drown him.

He moves forward and then, his world explodes into ash and fire. Iroh is thrown backwards by the blast, slamming into a tree so hard he feels something crack. Heat billows, his ears ring, and he vaguely hears someone shout. The last thing he sees before darkness overtakes him is the moon shining through smoke and flame. 

* * *

Xuan yawned. La'nh eyed him with irritation and whispered, "C'mon! Don’t do that to me! I’m already tired enough as it is!"

Xuan raised an eyebrow, "You should’ve gone to sleep when I told you instead of fussing about the pretty young prison guard." 

La'nh's eyes narrowed, "Don't start with that." He sulked, adding, "I saw you eyeing her friend. Though I don’t think you'll have much of a chance with her, she was pretty pregnant."

Xuan chuckled quietly, "Her pregnant friend just so happened to be my wife. It’s our first child!" He beamed and La'nh rolled his eyes. Of course he would be married- he could easily see the sometimes placid sometimes dopey man cracking stupid dad jokes. La'nh sighed, "That's very exciting."

They didn’t really have to be whispering did they? The prince was a pretty sound sleeper, unless they opened the door. La'nh had made that mistake only once and a small earth kingdom knife had ended up impaled into the wall beside his head.

Xuan smiled, a hand stroking his beard, "I was going to suggest helping you meet the young lady you so admire, but since you’re so lackluster, maybe I  won’t invite you both to dinner next week."

La'nh started, "Wait, no! I didn’t mean that!" He scowled, lowering his voice, "You were right, okay?"

Xuan smirked, full of self-satisfaction, "I know."

They both straightened, smiles dropping as a group of soldiers came into view. He counted six, and then another six behind them. Two full squads. Xuan stood and saluted the Sergeant in front, "Sir. What brings you here?"

The Sergeant raised an eyebrow, "Orders from the Fire Lord. He needs to see Prince Zuko."

Xuan frowned, "The Fire Lord?"

La'nh sulked, "Does this mean we can go to bed now?"

Xuan stiffened, eyeing the soldiers. His eyes narrowed, "No, La'nh. We won’t be going to bed." His hand reached for the pommel of his sword, resting there warningly in the suddenly tense room, "The Fire Lord has personally ordered us to not let the prince out of our sight. We will escort Prince Zuko to the Fire Lord."

The Sergeant's lips thinned, "I’m afraid that won’t be necessary, Lieutenant Xuan."

La'nh eyes widened, "What-?”

Xuan didn’t even have the time to pull his sword out of the scabbard or form a flame in his hand. The soldier on the Sergeant's left had already pulled a knife out of his belt, and faster than his eye could see, he'd slid it under Xuan's armor and into his sternum with a swift thunk.

Xuan's mouth opened in a small 'o', the soldier withdrew the knife with sickening squelch, and Xuan dropped like a stone. The soldier caught him, and gently lowered him to the ground, keeping him from clattering to the floor.

La'nh gaped, fingers itching with the desire to summon his fire, eyes wide, "_What_ in Agni's name is _going on?_ _What-_“

The sergeant, Xuan would’ve known him by name, glared, "Will you let us pass, Private? Or should we go through you too?"

La'nh couldn’t seem to tear his eyes off of Xuan's body. Blood pooling around his still form. The man had had a wife, and a child on the way. They’d just been laughing and talking-

Xuan had been right.

He'd already had his fill of blood.

La'nh lips pressed together and he turned away, fingers clenched, "I won’t fight you."

The sergeant smiled, "Good."

His hand reached for the door knob and La'nh _lunged_, flame pulling from between his fingers. The sergeant gasped, falling backwards.

Two soldiers had already grabbed at him, a hand over his mouth to muffle his warning shouts. La'nh struggled, firing off another shot, the flame quickly flickering out. The Sergeant grimaced, "You served your Fire Lord well."

La'nh jerked, the cold bite of a knife blade slipped between his ribs. He struggled, growing weaker. His eyes fluttered as he was lowered to the floor next to Xuan.

The last thing he felt was the rumble of the ground beneath him, Xuan's face slack, his eyes open and staring into nothing.

-

_FOUR DAYS AFTER OZAI'S COUP_

-

Iroh blinked, musty rafters greeting him. He groaned and a voice answered, "Oh! Fire Lord! Please don’t move!" 

He vaguely recognized the voice but for some reason he couldn’t quite place it. 

A young woman with dark hair braided over her shoulder and wide amber eyes knelt beside him, "You’ve had a head injury, m'lord. Are you feeling alright? Does anything hurt?" 

Iroh's brow furrowed. 

She pressed a hand to his forehead, strands of hair sticking to her rosy cheeks, "You're still running a little hot."

He finally placed her, "Ming?" 

She brightened, "Fire Lord Iroh!" 

"What..." he groaned, his ribs and his head pulsing as he shifted, "What happened?" 

The assistant cook paled, "Something terrible." She shook herself, "But you must rest now, m'lord. I don’t want you to strain yourself. You've broken some ribs, and your head took a mighty knock." She patted his hand, "Not to mention the burns. They’re not as severe as they could have been, and none of them will scar, but you must let them  _heal_." 

Iroh nodded, "Of course, my dear." He swallowed, "But, ah, how long?" 

"You’ve been unconscious for a few days. Four." 

He nodded and then asked tentatively, "And... why?"

She blinked before her eyes widened, "Oh, why am  _I_ taking care of you?" She gulped, "Ah, I... Captain Wan found you. We thought... we thought it best not to- not to reveal um, your survival." 

Iroh knew then, "Everyone believes that I am dead."

"Yes, m'lord." 

"And Ozai has taken the throne, I presume?" 

She gaped, "Well, yes, how...?" 

Iroh sighed, "I’ve known he was plotting for a long time now. I had not expected so drastic a measure so soon." 

Ming looked sad, "You did? Then did you know about his wife's absence?" 

"Ursa has gone?" 

Ming nodded, "She has not been seen since the- the assassination. The um, the Fire Lord- ah, Ozai, said she took a leave of absence- somewhere safer. We all wondered why she did not take Azula with her." 

Iroh's voice cracked, "And Zuko? Is Zuko gone?"

Ming lowered her eyes, “I’m sorry m'lord." 

"Ming-“ 

She looked away, "Zuko went mad, they say, after your 'death.' He killed Xuan and La'nh. His two guards. I don’t know where he is." 

Iroh closed his eyes, hands splayed over his chest, and Ming pretended not to see the tears spilling over his wrinkled cheeks. 

She murmured quietly into the suddenly silent room, "I’m sorry, m'lord. I’m so sorry." 

* * *

Healing was slow. His ribs were broken in several places, and he was not allowed to move under Ming's watchful eye. She told him they were in her house near the outskirts of the city, but they should still be careful he was not seen. 

Iroh finally met Captain Wan, his rescuer and Ming's husband, about thirteen days later. 

He threw open the door, for once not coming home in the dead of night, avoiding Iroh carefully as if afraid to address him. The elusive Wan stood before him now with a broken nose and a black eye. Ming gaped, "Wan, what happened?" 

Wan started forward, ignoring his wife and bowing to Iroh, who was sipping tea despondently in their spare bed. Iroh straightened, full fo worry but Wan dispelled his fears, smiling at him, eyes bright, "Fire Lord, a prisoner escaped from a prison cell I didn’t even know existed. Princess Azula broke them out."   


Iroh's eyes widened as Wan finished, "Prince Zuko himself broke my nose, m'lord!" 

Never had someone been so excited about having their nose broken. 

Ming's hand went to cover her mouth, eyes sparkling, "He’s alive?" 

"Alive and as fierce as ever!"

Iroh's eyes welled with tears and he sniffed, wiping at them.

They both gave their Fire Lord a moment to compose himself and he cleared his throat, "Wan, Ming, I believe that there is much work to be done. Work that, I’m afraid, I cannot do at the moment."

Ming nodded, "Anything! Everyone in the palace thinks I’m down with a bad case of pig-chicken pox."

Iroh asked for his robes and Wan brought him the scorched red silk. Iroh dug deep into an inner pocket and smiled, pulling out a lotus tile, "Now, this is of the utmost importance. I’m only telling you this because I trust you both with my life."

The couple nodded, puzzled, but flattered.

Iroh opened his mouth, and, told them about the Order of the White Lotus.


End file.
